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Death Stranding, Gears 5, and Destiny 2: the best trailers of Gamescom 2019

Death Stranding, Gears 5, and Destiny 2: the best trailers of Gamescom 2019

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It’s Gamescom, which means a slew of video game news is coming out of Germany this week. Already, we’ve learned that Cyberpunk 2077 is coming to Google Stadia, PUBG is getting cross-play support on console, and another big wave of indie games is on the way to the Nintendo Switch. Outside of those announcements, big game shows are also good for another thing: trailers. And so far, Gamescom has not disappointed.

We got looks at Destiny 2: Shadowkeep, Cyberpunk 2077, Gears 5, and, of course, Hideo Kojima’s confounding Death Stranding, which somehow is even weirder than you think. Check out the best from the show so far below.

Death Stranding

Look, I’m not going to pretend to understand what is, especially after the latest reveal. But here are some new details I can confirm: there is a baby called BB, a character named Mama who plucks ghost babies out of the air, and you can make Norman Reedus’ character urinate. Also, Game Awards host Geoff Keighley is in the game for some reason. Just watch the trailer, okay?

Destiny 2: Shadowkeep

Destiny 2’s next big expansion launches on October 1st, and the Gamescom trailer provides a closer look at what players can expect. “You haven’t seen darkness,” the trailer description reads. “Not yet.” In addition to Shadowkeep, Destiny 2 is changing in another big way with a free-to-play version on the way.

Gears 5

Gears 5, a sort of soft reboot for the series with a new cast of characters, is launching very soon. And while we’ve seen a lot about the game’s single-player campaign, Microsoft used Gamescom to reveal details on the much-anticipated “horde” mode, which lets four players team up to survive increasingly challenging waves of enemies.

Hotline Miami Collection

It’s been a while since Hotline Miami exploded on to the scene, but now, you can take both of the brutally hard action games with you anywhere, thanks to the Switch version, which is out right now.

Ori and the Blind Forest

Just like Hotline Miami, Ori and the Blind Forest isn’t a new game. But the atmospheric side-scroller seems like a perfect fit for Nintendo’s tablet, and its hand-drawn visuals still look as good as ever.

Blair Witch

The upcoming video game adaptation of The Blair Witch Project is almost here: it will launch on August 30th. However, we haven’t seen much of it until now. The Gamescom trailer provides a much better look at what the first-person horror game is like, and it’s not pretty. The one thing it doesn’t show is the game’s pettable dog.

NBA 2K20

NBA 2K chose a star-studded way to show off its new career mode. Not only was it produced by LeBron James’ production company, but it also features performances from Idris Elba, Rosario Dawson, Thomas Middleditch, Ernie Hudson, and, well, LeBron James.

Cyberpunk 2077

We only got the tiniest glimpse of Cyberpunk 2077, but given how excited we are for the game, Google Stadia’s first-person hacking and motorcycle riding are welcome, despite its short length.

Need for Speed Heat

The latest Need for Speed was actually announced earlier this month, but today we caught our first glimpse of gameplay. It’s about what you’d expect: lots of really pretty cars in intense street races. There’s even a new feature where you can customize your cars with a mobile app called “NFS Heat Studio” before the game comes out.

Kerbal Space Program 2

Space exploration / creation game Kerbal Space Program is getting a sequel nearly a decade after it first launched. Unfortunately, we don’t know much about the game — the reveal trailer didn’t show any actual gameplay — but it will launch next year. It’ll be out on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

Little Nightmares II

The unsettling storybook horror game Little Nightmares is getting a sequel, and it looks like it’ll offer a much bigger world to explore and more ways to interact with it, including weapons. Little Nightmares II will launch next year on Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Switch.

Life is Strange 2

We’re approaching the end of the second season of Life is Strange, and at Gamescom, we got our first look at the fourth and penultimate episode. The good news is that the episode is out very soon: it’ll launch on August 22nd.

The Witcher 3

We’ve known The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was coming to the Switch since E3, and now, the port has a release date. You can expect to return to Geralt’s world on October 15th. The new trailer is refreshingly honest, showing the slightly cutdown version for Nintendo’s platform, blurry textures and all.

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